The Jedi Wars
by Amplesound
Summary: Obi Wan and Master Windu are sent to the old planet of Othen in the next galaxy to investigate claims surrounding the existence of a Jedi army lead by the in between and therefore a much bigger threat than the singular Sith lord they have been looking for. When the rumours are found to be true and the threat real, a decision has to be made; work with the dark side or fall.
1. Chapter 1

**STAR WARS: THE JEDI WARS**

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away the galactic empire is falling apart. Democracy has slid out of sight and the Jedi Order 66 is finding it harder and harder to keep the peace in a system that demands revolution with people who are rallying against each other.  
Meanwhile, the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious is hiding under their very noses and controlling the senate from the inside.

But thousands of kilometres away in another system on the planet Othen, rumours of a Jedi army trained in the art of warfare and lead by two individuals neither dark nor light are spreading like wild fire. The Jedi Master, Yoda, has sent two Jedi Knights to the planet to investigate the rumours and bring to light the truth and perhaps to help decide whether the best solution is to stick to their own battle and fight for democracy in their own system or join the war on the Sith and fight for the universe in one enormous clash of light and dark.

))((()))((()))((()))

Master Windu stepped off the ship onto the black planet with a sour look on his face, a frown set deep and a bead of sweat forming on the ridge of his brow.  
Obi Wan Kenobi followed suit, noticeably uncomfortable in the heat and disorientated by what was around them, or lack thereof; an endless flat land of harsh, black dessert.

"Othen is hotter than I anticipated," Windu mused grimly, squinting up at the blazing sun. "Not my area comfort,"

"Nor mine," Obi Wan agreed, looking around, above and under the ship, "Still, if Master Yoda wanted us here then I suppose we'll have to endure,"

He started walking forward, out of the shadow of the ship and instantly regretted it, the heat searing through the sole of his boots and he quickly stepped back in and turned to Windu who was looking at him with mock awe.

"Why did Master Yoda make you a master?" he asked sarcastically as he pulled out a container from the pocket of his robe and smeared the contents of it on the bottom of his feet.

"Is that what that was?" Obi Wan asked, reaching for his own gel, eyes wide in enlightenment. He watched as Windu walked out onto the sand without flinching though the discomfort of heat was still obvious.  
Obi Wan followed suit and when he took a step onto the devilishly hot sand, he found only a luke warm heat rising and he could almost bounce his way to nowhere instead of walking. He found a sort of childlike enjoyment coursing through his being as he tried to bounce freely without Windu's knowing. He found himself thinking of Anikan and how that boy would undoubtedy bounce regardless and laugh at Windu's face of disapproval.

"Where do you propose we start, Master Kenobi?" Windu stopped suddenly and turned to Obi Wan who bounced to his side with a small grin earning himself the look he thought he'd get, "Having fun?" He added.

"It gives a mission like this a little light. To answer your question as a result, I have no idea. What were Master Yoda's instructions?"

"He gave us the coordinates and said that we were to disembark and merely…look," he gestured to the emptiness about them before letting his hand drop to his side in a loss, "Look at what, I wonder,"

"No mention of the 22nd Order, then?"

"None…but I think that means they never contacted him either. I certainly would have known if they had,"

"Could that mean that they don't know we're here?"

"I think it means they didn't know we were coming,"

The looked at each other wearily for a moment before Windu pulled out his lightsabre and held it above his head,

"Maybe they need assurance,"

"Assurance?"

"They haven't killed us yet, we're not bad people…," he paused, "Yet,"

The whir of electricity sent out a mild flare as Windu's purple lightsabre buzzed to life. Obi Wan observed his surroundings a moment before deciding that perhaps it was best that he do the same. Moments later his own lightsabre was lit and blue above his head, contrasting the barren landscape.

Windu looked this way and that, looking for anyone to find them,  
"We're sitting ducks like this,"

"Better than dead ducks," Obi Wan responded and Windu looked at him in grumpy agreement.

Minutes passed and still no sign of any life forms, no sense sparked their awareness, there was nothing. They were alone on the Planet, alone and vulnerable to the heat.

"Order 66," came a thick, steely voice that sounded like a rake over gravel, "And only two. A pity,"

Windu and Obi Wan spun on their heels to see who or what was behind them. Two individuals one behind the other, the taller at the back and just off centre. The eyes that shone out from the depths of black robed hoods were rimmed with yellow but had no hint of the red that signified a Sith. The mark of the in between it was called. A dangerous place to be, a dangerous trade to learn, neither here nor there.

It was the taller one at the back who spoke while the other stood deathly still.

"A pity…I would say the same," Windu countered but earned only so much as a sly chuckle from the taller being,

"Were you expecting more than the two leads to show themselves, Master Windu? Perhaps the entire army?"

Windu's frowned deepened as a result of the mockery. Windu was unsure of what he was expecting, Obi Wan didn't know himself and it was part of the reason why he found the mission both exciting and frightening. The rumours were impossible but if one were to imagine an army of Jedi Knights – one was awed. But then one has to assume the existence of a Sith army and the thought is suddenly terrifying. A clash inevitable and the endurance of light and dark challenged and there can only be one winner.

"We weren't sure if you knew we were coming, Master," Obi Wan interjected, "But clearly –"

"But clearly nothing. We had no knowledge of your impending arrival and no knowledge still of who you are. We received word but once, many a year back from Master Yoda that he would send someone to our aid and whom we should accommodate to the best of our ability. But no one came and so we thought you were lost or otherwise chose not to join our cause. No matter, we don't need you as much as you might need us,"

"Arrogance is a path to the dark side, Master Jedi, I caution you,"

"We are not Jedi, Master Windu, we have free reign over whatever we want to be. We are defined by the choices we make, not by the way we are taught," the tall man, it must have been, sneered, silencing Windu again.

"How do you know us?" Obi Wan interjected a second time, calming the tension.

"A scanner; we traced the ship to its landing and we linked its registered code to Coruscant. So we assumed you to be the lost Jedi. WIndu we recognise for you are second only to Master Yoda," he glanced at Windu briefly before returning his attention to Kenobi, "But you, Master…?"

"Kenobi, Obi Wan Kenobi,"

"Kenobi…we have not seen nor heard of the likes of you before,"

"I'm still new to the Jedi council, only 4 years,"

"Hmm…not long at all," his head dropped, pensive a moment over the news before taking a breath, "I am Jed Reno and this is my apprentice Shep Leelo,"

The shorter, silent and still, nodded curtly but gave no other indication of acceptance or acknowledgement.

Obi Wan bowed and was relieved when Master Windu obliged and showed the same curtesy they had been denied.

"Pleasure," Obi Wan offered but in unison, the duo turned to leave, leaving them with nothing but words thrown over Jed's shoulder,

"Fly carefully and safeguard our secret, please,"

Windu followed stubbornly and Obi Wan watched him briefly, choosing to stay and wait as to be followed by two Jedi Knights was not particularly good manners. Jedi do not follow but something was obviously out of place, Windu's desperation – for that could only be it – for them to tell him anything of importance and the swiftness and aggression with which Jed responded to Windu was obvious and though his voice was calm, it carried and Obi Wan could hear it.

"We are vulnerable here, Master Windu. I will not **ever** tell you our whereabouts or even put faith in your good name for the sake of a maybe. If Master Yoda wants to investigate us, then he is welcome to do it himself,"

"He sent myself and Master Kenobi, we are his two most trusted. Is that not enough? Master Yoda, despite the stories, is old and time is short. The temple needs him there,"

"Death is a natural part of life but I daren't believe him to think that I would let you saunter into our domain without proof of identification. You say you are his most trusted…how do I know?"

"From Jedi to Jedi, Master Reno, use your feelings,"

"I use them more than you know, Master Windu. Again I say, I won't risk anything. You must understand our position. That is my feeling. I feel you are well and safe but I cannot tell your sustenance. If you were tortured, can you hold your tongue? Can you lie?"

Windu did not respond and Reno's aggression reseeded and he straightened, content in his small victory. A small sigh escaped the blackness of his hood, glancing over at his apprentice, who looked undisturbed by the ordeal,

"If it means so much, Master Windu, allow me to propose a solution; I will send Shep with you back to Corascunt. Allow her to meet with Master Yoda and decide with all of you present,"

Windu gazed at the apprentice wearily before nodding,

"Very well but then we leave now,"

"Of course," Jed responded almost as if the decision was a stupidly obvious one and he turned to Shep and said something inaudible that made Windu's already accusatory face look even more so. Then, with no other words spoken, an understanding seemingly reached, Jed Reno simply walked away and for a while all who were left behind watched and waited, wondering at what point Reno might indicate a secret somewhere into which he'd disappear. But he walked forever.

Windu marched back to Obi Wan and raised his eyebrows,  
"Consider my trust shaken,"

"Caution," Obi Wan agreed and when they looked back, Leelo was making her way towards them determinedly and behind her, Reno had simply disappeared. Obi Wan watched Leelo walk past them and onto their ship without a word before he smirked at Windu,

"Looks like we missed it."

(((())))))(((())))(((())))

The ship was cold and a terrible contrast to the blazing heat of Othen.  
Obi Wan was staring out of the main window, the stars blinking at him from their respective galaxies. Windu was somewhere else in the ship, his hand on his chin, deep in thought.

He was deep in his own thoughts when the captain startled him out of his head with a question,

"Did you see the death pits?"

"Pardon me?"

"The Death Pits of Othen. They're pretty much legend now, no more, no less. Heard of them?"

"Stories from when I was a boy only,"

"I take it you didn't see them, then,"

"No," Obi Wan's thoughts wondered again, back to when he was learning about the history of the Jedi and the various temples on varying planets – one of which was on Othen. But Othen had been attacked many years back when it had been caught in the middle of civil war. It had gotten the brunt of the battle and the planet had been set a light. The fire roared on for months and months before it went out but needless to say, the temple was burnt to the ground and the planet was left to wallow in its own pity, to become its own ghost story.

The Death Pits had been an outstanding feature, however. Othen was not favoured by many neighbouring galaxies, many of which were inhabited by Jedi temples, and the pits were the reason. Like the death penalty but without restrictions; if you fell in, no one helped you out. If you were thrown in, then you would die regardless of trial. They were simply enormous holes in the ground that hinted at an endlessness that would take you through the planet core and out the other side by which time you would have frozen.

Some said there were terrible beasts that lay within. Other said you merely hit the ground and died; either way, the Death Pits held endless fascination and terror and there were five of them situated all over the planet but since its destruction all those years ago, the death pits fell into myth and legend.

"I would love to see them," the pilot's voice came wafting out of the blue and drew Obi Wan's concentration back to the present.

"I'm sure," he uttered, "They'd be quite something,"

Just then, the rustle of robe and the slide of door alerted him to someone's entrance. Low and behold, Shep Leelo entered, silent and, dare Obi Wan think, hostile,

"Good evening,"

But Leelo said nothing though she looked at him, he could tell.

"Are you comfortable?"

Still nothing.

"Would you like a refreshment of some kind? Water, perhaps? Anything to eat? No one ever feels like eating when flying but it is important,"

He looked at her, waiting for a reaction, some form of yes or no or even indifference but she gave no sign of recognition, not even one that said she'd heard him. Obi Wan shrugged and continued gazing out.

"Silent," the captain said, "Can you speak or are you unable?"

Obi Wan stalled. He hadn't actually considered the idea that perhaps instead of being rude and obnoxious, she simply was unable to speak. Perhaps some cruel twist of fate left her without a tongue, crushed her voice box, burnt her throat? Anything.

He turned to her to utter his apologies, but then…she spoke and it was a voice that flowed like the river instead of a voice that stumbled over stones,

"No, Master Kenobi, I'm not mute. Thank you for your offer but I am fine,"

Obi Wan was temporarily stupefied. The voice of Jed Reno was harsh on the ears and he expected no less of Leelo but just to prove him wrong, he was graced with a tone that glided through the air easily, disturbed nothing and yet was disturbing to link it to the eyes that sometimes gleamed out of the darkness when the light caught her just so.

"I apologise for my abrupt manner," he uttered, still stunned.

But he was met by stoney silence again and Obi Wan wondered why she didn't speak. What kept her from it? Did Reno teach her not too or was she simply somebody who preferred her own company to that of others. Traumatised, perhaps, traumatised into silence, into not liking the sound of her own voice.

"My mistake," the captain said again and he went silent himself. Saying no more within the presence of Leelo as she stood carefully behind him.

The stars blinked and flashed and became blurs if one stared at one too long. The silence drew on and on without anyone saying anything. Obi Wan saw the Captain shift and sigh in discomfort and Obi Wan felt his own unease growing. He dared a subtle glance over at Leelo who stood still and unperturbed by the silence. Only she was unworried by it.

"Are you always this silent?" Obi Wan dared asked expecting no response and not so much as a blank stare did he get, "Has Master Jed taught you to be silent?"

She smirked, a clear indication of definitely not.

"Are you afraid of something, then?"

Another look, sceptical and defensive as if offended by the notion of fear. She turned away again,  
"What good would it do to talk to you, Master Kenobi? I have instructions to talk to Master Yoda, not anyone else. So why bother?"

The tables turned and Obi Wan felt a sharp stab of insignificance,

"How about for social reasons,"

"Do I seem like a socialite to you, Master Kenobi?"

Obi Wan recognised a losing battle when he was in one and so he said no more to anyone. Choosing to leave Leelo and the captain altogether, he wondered through the spaceship in search of something to do to remove his thoughts from the mess he was inevitably going to find himself in.

He found Master Windu doing the same, playing with a piece of ship metal as it floated up and down and around him while he waved his hand absent-mindedly.

"Master Windu?"

"I don't trust them," he said bluntly, not looking at Obi Wan as he entered quietly,

"I don't think they trusts us either, Master,"

"A problem which we have to find a solution for. We need to find mutual ground, Obi Wan," he looked at him for the first time, his face not as hard, not as guarded but more worried, concern lining his face and making him look tired, "Or otherwise everything will fail."

"What do you want me to do, Master?"

"It will take time, but start now; Shep Leelo is someone we'll need to tip toe around. I sense she is harder around the edges than her Master,"

"Well that would make sense. Level each other out. Master, do you think they even are Master and apprentice?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps another front to keep us from knowing too much before we say no. I understand. They're a fragile duo,"

Obi Wan nodded,  
"Surely Master Yoda will know, however. That is if he has had contact with them before…"

"He would have told the council. Me at the very least. This sounds too much like the clone army you stumbled upon,"

Obi Wan remembered clearly how it stumped the council how the old Master told no one of his dealings with the clone army and for what reasons.

"Maybe she simply doesn't like to speak,"

Windu looked at him doubtfully and Obi Wan knew that it was indeed doubtful. Perhaps it was so that she wasn't fond of speaking but she made a special effort of not even acknowledging the voice of her addresser except on occasion.

"I would very much like to know what Master Jed said to her…either way," Windu stood and gazed out a window where he could see the light spotted planet of Corascunt, "We're almost there."

(((())))))(((()))))(((()))

They alighted the ship one by one and Obi Wan could see the relief on the Captain's face as he was finally relieved of Shep's tense silence.  
She followed Obi Wan and Windu through the halls of the Jedi temple, looking up to take in its magnitude; the way the pillars reached high to keep an extravagant ceiling from falling on them, the way the floors were made of marble and glinted in the sunlight and gave the temple an air of elegance so well suited to the art of being a Jedi Knight. There were no doors for the temple was meant to be wide open for the public, to allow the light to stream in endlessly from whatever source.

Windu was trying to explain the to's and from's of the temple to Shep Leelo as she made no indication of understanding.  
"And here," he said, stopping at the entrance to a small room that would like a snow globe if looked upon from the outside, "Is the council room."

He waited for her to enter before glancing at Obi Wan and entering himself.  
Obi Wan entered after him, weary and not at all surprised that the small council had gathered and were waiting patiently for them.

"Welcome," Master Yoda offered as Leelo took up a position in front of him and Windu, bowing slightly. The first time Obi Wan had seen her truly show respect. He felt suddenly awed by Yoda, more so than he'd ever felt before. He had respect from the hardest of people and people he had never met.

"Your master, happy he is not. Not enough, my two most trusted were?"

"No, Master Yoda,"

"Hmmm…" Yoda nodded, "Precarious your position is. Understand I do. Brave you are to come alone,"

Leelo said nothing.

"Lower your hood," Yoda pointed at her in the way he always did with no particular reference, "See you we must,"

Obi Wan found himself leaning forward in anticipation, not realising he'd been wondering what lay beneath the hood, what the face that had those eyes looked like, where the voice came from.

Leelo hesitated a moment before doing so. No one uttered a word as she did so but obvious effort was put into it.  
Shep's face was riddled with scars and broken flesh, a permanent smile put in place that stretched from each corner of her mouth to the middle of her cheeks.  
Only Yoda regarded this feature with indifference. But Obi Wan was surprised – the voice most of all, flowed like the river where as the voice he would have expected should he have seen her face first, would have been thick and sticky like blood.

"Now tell us about your cause, Young Shep,"

"We need your full confidence. We need either a yes or no. I cannot accept a neither here nor there from two Jedi Knights we don't know. But the war that is coming –"

"What war?" A Jedi master with a strange look about him said abruptly, "What evidence is there of this…'war'?"

"Do you think you are the only galaxy that suffers?" Shep growled, "This disruption is happening everywhere and Master Jed recognised this many years ago. He taught himself about the half way mark between the light and dark,"

"Dangerous that is," Yoda mused where Master Windu looked on without saying another word.

"Yes, Master," Leelo agreed, "But he has not taught anyone else. Only me."

"How many other Jedi are there? How does your training help them?" Windu asked sceptically.

"Battle combat and that of defence are two very different fighting styles. Are you aware of how the fighting style of the Sith is far more brutal? They aim to kill you. You aim to disarm,"

"In the balance you are, easily swayed perhaps," Yoda commented again and Leelo looked at him a moment, thinking about it,

"Perhaps,"

"Why should we trust you? Why put our faith in you?"

"We're putting our faith in you, Master Windu," Leelo said measuredly, unaffected by Windu coming up on the offence, "You don't serve us, we serve you. Basically. There are 10 000 Jedi Knights thus far. Jed only wants to lead you but if something goes wrong…you can kill us fairly easily,"

Leelo shrugged and Windu leaned back. He looked more relaxed, as if the mutual understanding he was going on at Obi Wan about was found.

Obi Wan felt himself being persuaded and was about to voice it when Yoda hmm'ed to himself again and nodded,  
"Very well. Send word back to your Master, be there in five days, I will."

Leelo bowed and without further interaction, put her hood back up and left. The moments following her departure, Windu turned to Master Yoda with concern in his voice,

"Surely we need you to stay here, Master…"

"Master Windu, be there in five days," Yoda turned to Windu with a sternness only Yoda had, "I will."


	2. Chapter 2

Obi Wan sat still in the council room, even long after the council had actually left. He worried not about where Leelo was. Not for now, despite the duties Master Windu had charged him with.  
The whole business of Yoda leaving the Jedi temple did not please him, gave him a familiar feeling of unease and as far as he was aware, Windu felt the same and probably intended to talk to Yoda in private, to convince him otherwise. It always astounded Obi Wan how Yoda and Master Windu were on par with each other, Yoda's wisdom greater, Windu's tactics smarter and so worked well with one another and yet, despite a relationship that was built on the boulders of trust, Yoda was still so very ambiguous. He stood still while the rest of them shook in their boots, he was calm and sure when the rest of them battled doubt – even Master Windu.

"Master?"

Obi Wan's thoughts were suddenly drawn from where they were, wherever they were and he looked up, momentarily startled to see Anakin looking at him in that strangely dark and cautious way of his. An odd look that didn't suit his occasional arrogance.

"Are you alright?"

Obi Wan uncrossed his legs and stood up, fanning out his robe as if to shake off the worry and start again,  
"Yes, yes I am. Sorry, I was far, far away,"

"I saw that," Anakin smirked first before his face lit up with a small but genuine smile, "It's good to see you, Master,"

Obi Wan felt a warm rush of fondness for his arrogant ex-apprentice, sometimes he was in over his head but he was a good man none the less and he had come a long way – once a child, now a fully-fledged Jedi albeit a Jedi who required a little more guidance,  
"And you, Anakin. It's quite a mystery this."

Obi Wan lead the way out of the council room where they took a left and wondered down the longest hall with the most windows, the light flooding in from the gigantic windows.

"Yes, I've seen the Jedi in question wondering around the temple – I get a strange feeling about him,"

"'Her' actually and yes, so do I. Can't place it. Master Windu has put her under my charge without her consent so we'll have to be careful. It's up to us to find out more about her,"

"By us, you mean 'you', Master. I wasn't there for Master Windu to give me any such charge,"

"You're too witty for me, Anakin but let it be known, has there ever been a time when I've been asked to wonder into trouble and you haven't ended up coming with me? No. Only this time, I'm inviting you. Take it as a compliment,"

"How?"

Leelo wondered out of the darkness of the youngling training room, like a ghost she swept across the marble floor towards them as the lengthy robe covered her feet and Obi Wan saw the benign dark side only briefly before it was gone,

"Somebody needs to save our skins."

(((((((((())))))))))))((((((()))))))

Leelo saw them and slowed, coming to a stop mere feet away from the two Jedi Knights as they stood and watched curiously,

"Good Evening,"

"Good Evening, Shep," Obi Wan responded all too cheerily, surprised that Leelo had spoken first, "This is Anakin Skywalker, once my apprentice, now my fellow Jedi Knight,"

"Pleasure," Anakin offered somewhat flatly, "I understand you're here to convince Master Yoda to return to Othen with you to investigate this Jedi Army you have,"

Obi Wan glanced at Anakin sharply, Anakin was hinting at sarcasm and that could very well ruin any attempt at forming a relationship with this…in between-er.  
And just as he had suspected, she didn't take particularly well to it, responding with a course,

"Consider the job done, fledgling,"

And she washed past them – whatever reason she had to stop and talk to them, brushed aside and forgotten.  
Obi Wan glared at Anakin,

"Thank you, Anakin," he hissed, "I ask you to be my partner and you respond as if it were a joke,"

"It is!" Anakin suddenly blurted, "Do you honestly believe that there's a Jedi Army out there? The Jedi are selfless peace-keepers, that's what we're trained in. No Jedi would consent to being a soldier,"

"That's only Order 66 – Othen is old Anakin, the Jedi there are from systems we don't know and we don't know their circumstances. They may very well have a good reason for becoming what they're becoming,"

"Yeah well, I don't like it. It makes me uneasy," Anakin scowled, turning away from Obi Wan in an ode to the childishness he still possessed that had need for guidance.

"As it does me, Anakin but we have to be open minded. This is a fragile business," when Anakin didn't respond to his reason, Obi Wan resorted to the old use of desperation, "I need your help…please,"

It seemed to do the trick as Anakin finally looked at him and though it was a look of displeasure, he nodded.  
Obi Wan smiled,

"Good. Now stay here," he raised his finger for emphasise, "I'm off to fix your mistake,"

He didn't give Anakin time to respond before he was on his way, walking briskly to catch up with Leelo.

When he did, he found Leelo standing on the landing platform of the temple and looking out over the city as it begun to light up while the sun went down and the moon passed by it, rising gently into the sky above them.

"Lovely, isn't it?" he offered, coming up beside her.

She turned to him and nodded.

"I apologise for Anakin's behaviour – I had nothing to do with that, I promise,"

It was a failure of a joke as Leelo jumped straight into the undertow of all matters.

"Anakin Skywalker, the boy wonder set to bring balance to the force and destroy the Sith. How will that happen I wonder – a close-minded, arrogant boy,"

"He's a good man,"

"I have no doubt," she looked over at him, "Manners are often deceptive of one's inner-shell. You trust him?"

"I do,"

"I do not."

"You don't trust the best of us, I feel,"

"Perhaps…but for the best of you I have a willingness to try,"

"How do you know of Anakin?"

"A disturbance in the force when the boy was born drew my Master's attention,"

"A disturbance?" Obi Wan turned to her fully, baffled,

"A shift, perhaps," she paused, considering re-phrasing, "Yes, a shift better suits the situation. He took it upon himself to find out what brought it about – was it good, was it bad…"

"And his conclusion?"

"I only know mine. I imagine Master Jed will have to meet young Skywalker to determine his own feelings.

She spoke of Master Reno as if she were an apprentice and she spoke by herself as if she had been walking the earths for many years. There was wisdom etched into the contours of her face and in the rust of her words and yet, there was a hint of being unsure, a need to hold onto something stable like Master Reno.

She watched the lights flicker on as darkness finally took over as the last of the dying light finally died. She watched with an intense focus – fascinated by a planet made of brick, electricity and endless skyscrapers.

"Would you like to see it?"

"See what, Master Kenobi?"

"The city, of course. It'd be my pleasure to show you the city around us. There's much to see,"

"I can see fine here,"

"Very well." Obi Wan placed his hands behind his back and prepared himself for the next turn of conversation when a flying car landed gracefully behind them, the outlet of air making the night shimmer about it,

"If we were to see the city. Would we go in that?" she asked, watching as the flyer climbed out of the car and proceeded to enter the Temple, gracing them with a brief wave.

"Yes," Obi Wan said, sensing a change in her attitude.

"Hmmm…very well, Master Kenobi, lead the way,"

And so Obi Wan did. Pleased at her interest in the march of progress, the contrast between a dead planet and one of the most alive planets in their particular galaxy.  
He hopped into a red automobile and flipped the switch so that the car gently breathed into life and rose from the ground like a lung.

Leelo climbed in, one careful step after another via the door, closing it behind her with force and then double checking its closure. Once comfortable, Obi Wan reversed and stepped on the pedal and sped out into the night. When he glanced over at Leelo, she was tense, holding on to her seat stiffly and her hood had blown off to leave her hair billowing in the wind.  
But after a few moments, she calmed and let go of the seat to replace it.

After which, Obi Wan proceeded to point out various land marks and familiarities none of which she responded too but Obi Wan chose to accept that it wasn't disinterest, it was merely a different sort of listening.

"And now there," he pointed briefly, "is the Jedi temple,"

"We're that far already,"

"Yes, strange isn't it…"

A car flew too close for her liking and she winced,

"Put this thing down, I'm walking!"

"Shep, I'd like to know more about the in-betweens,"

"Let's strike a deal, Master Kenobi, I'll tell you 'most' of whatI have if you put this thing down…please,"

Obi Wan obliged and no sooner had he done so than did Shep Leelo get out without hesitancy, puffing out a sigh of relief while gazing grimly at the red car Obi Wan himself was coming around from.

"You are my charge, Shep. I was going to go about this subtly but Master Yoda has agreed to go to Othen with you. The temple will be vulnerable, the politics here will heighten and as word spreads that he is not here, there will be hysteria,"

"How does such an old man keep the peace with only his presence?" she smirked, turning from him and the car.

"You must get to know Master Yoda,"

"Do you claim to 'know' him, Obi Wan? One of the most powerful Jedi Knights in the system and you 'know' him?"

"I don't claim that at all. I trust him, though, with every ounce of what we have. He trusts you so give me the same reason you gave him, I want to trust you too. I would like you to feel you can trust me as well so…Shep Leelo, let's understand each other."

Leelo narrowed her eyes at him before nodding briefly,

"What do you want to know?"

"How many are there of you?"

"Just Jed and myself,"

"For an army? My, my, that's quite an accomplishment," Obi Wan said, amused by her misinterpretation but Leelo ignored it, starting to walk back in the direction of the Jedi temple, forcing Obi Wan to follow.

"To lead 10,000 Jedi Knights, there is just Master Reno and myself,"

Obi Wan faltered a moment,

"10,000…"

She hid a small smile from him as she watched his amusement slip from his face. She looked up at the ordered chaos as cars flew past each other, each passing encounter a near but forgettable miss,

"Madness," she uttered.

"Quite…" Obi Wan agreed though to which subject he was responding, he wasn't too sure, "What orders are involved?"

"It'll make it easier to comprehend if I tell you there are 5 _galaxies_ involved,"

"5?!"

"Yes, master Kenobi, 5."

She turned to him with a blank indifference, as if having half of the universes Jedi Knights under her thumb was no big accomplishment,

"I suppose that would make sense," he offered, trying to dull his sudden anxiety.

"And what of Order 66?" she said suddenly, changing the subject. Obi Wan stilled,

"What of it?"

"I hear word of clones…a dangerous business,"

"Yes. Well, best not to let that slip too far out of hand,"

"I would say the same thing. Where did they come from?"

"Apparently, one of our late Jedi Masters ordered their creation from a planet in the far West of the galaxy…"

"What planet?"

Obi Wan sensed a growing resentment in Leelo, her questions growing agitated and aggressive,

"Unfortunately, that is information I am obliged to withhold – the creators, you see."

Leelo seemed to accept the reasoning but still found it grudge worthy as she continued on,

"Go on,"

"He told no one which was a bit peculiar,"

"Who was he?"

"Master Sifo-Dyas,"

Shep suddenly turned, her face cloaked in darkness but Obi Wan swore he saw her eyes widen in momentary shock before it was quickly wiped from her brow as if it were never there at all. A micro-expression, a ghost.  
She kept walking, her body more rigid,

"Do you know him?" Obi Wan enquired cautiously, wondering if perhaps this new Order had anything to do with the clone commission.

"Of him,"

"Any idea why he wanted a clone army?"

"Absolutely none,"

"You're lying,"

"It's not my funeral,"

"Pardon me?"

"Clones commissioned in secret, not even Master Yoda knew…did he…"

Obi Wan was silent.

"A Clone army bred for what? And for who?"

"Sifo-Dyas was one of the orders most trusted Masters, he would not have done it if it weren't for the good of the order," Obi Wan defended though a small part of himself began doubting his own words.

"Sifo-Dyas did not tell you and that, in itself, is a dangerous way to protect your Jedi."

"He was killed, he may very well have told us if he gotten the chance,"

"But he did not tell you from the start. Curious," she shrugged without looking at him, "Who was he killed by?"

"I don't know,"

"Take a guess,"

Obi Wan looked at her in puzzlement,

"I have no names, only that he was killed in battle,"

"By a Sith,"

"Yes…"

"That should worry you, Master Kenobi,"

And it did but he had enough to worry about and he wanted to believe that the clones were a good thing. He wanted to brush it aside but Leelo's sudden interest and retaliation against the notion made it a more pressing situation.

"Why should it worry me?"

"Can you imagine if the Sith got their hands on a clone army? Can you imagine how catastrophic that would be? Not to you alone, but to our body of work,"

"They won't, it's impossible,"

"So close-minded,"

"If the Sith had control of the Clone army, they would have attacked us by now,"

"Would they have?"

Obi Wan stopped but Leelo did not. She kept walking, she kept on without looking back and as she all but disappeared into the hordes of people weaving in and out of each other and despite how disturbing the conversation was, all Obi Wan could think of to say was,

"Wouldn't you need to be taken back? The people of this city aren't exactly accommodating to new-comers,"

Leelo turned back against the wave of people,

"No, I will walk. Trust me," she said dryly, "If anyone should be weary of anyone; It's them,"  
she gestured to the squabble of beings about her, "Of me."

And Obi Wan believed her and he felt a little ashamed for she had quite simply stated his own fears to himself – she had openly said that she knew exactly what was in his head. Worried and suddenly tired, he headed back to where he left his mobile. In true form, he had come full circle with himself long before the conversation. He had only hoped that it had occurred to no one else only because it was an impossibility but things were not as they seemed. They were ignorant despite their time and he longed for Yoda's reassurance but it suddenly made sense as to why Yoda agreed to go to Othen. If the clone army was to be commandeered, they would need a serious back-up plan and so as Obi Wan worried, so did Yoda.

(((((())))))(((()))((()))))

Leelo trudged back to the Jedi temple, somewhat distraught over everything and grateful to be alone and yet as she looked around, there were eyes that pried into her being, trying to see into her hood and beneath her robe, she felt grotesque – she wasn't alone. She longed to be back in Othen alongside Jed, where the earth was flat and when night time came, everything went to sleep or at the very least, things stilled.

She longed for quiet conversation – or perhaps a lack thereof – with Jed when she wondered out into the dark on nights she couldn't sleep only to find Jed looking up at the moon. They'd stand and nothing would be said, sometimes Jed wouldn't even look at her but it never seemed to matter, despite her position, she preferred being a ghost.

She made it back a little stiff legged and slightly agitated for she had more than a few city dwellers try their luck.  
She saw Obi Wan's mobile parked neatly back where he had taken it from. When she looked up, Anakin Skywalker stood waiting,

"Skywalker," she muttered as she passed.

"Master Yoda wishes to speak with you," he said coldly, recognising her steely tone with him. She didn't respond but instead of taking a right, she took a left towards the council room.

"Leelo," Anakin called and she turned to him none too hastily, "Master Kenobi has told me that you had a fairly straight forward talk so we won't be needing courtesies anymore,"

"No," she said swiftly before she turned away again.

"Before you go,"

Leelo rolled her eyes and turned again,

"Why?"

She was momentarily surprised and was hesitant, unsure of how to answer. It was not an enquiry she was expecting to hear from the young Jedi. The Force was hazy about him. With the darkness around him, he was expected to speak bluntly but was not expected to care and yet here he was asking why they no longer needed to greet each other appropriately anymore – or rather, why they didn't even have to start.

"You don't want the truth, Skywalker,"

"What truth?"

"My feelings. We don't need courtesies, no. But feelings are more personal, don't you think? I'd prefer to keep those for the time being,"

She didn't trust him. She didn't like his arrogant aura. She felt threatened by him. Things that were caught in the blurred lines between trivial, personal and genuine threats. She turned for the last time and left him behind though she was aware that he had not left his position following her departure.

When she entered the council room, curious to know why she had been called so late. She found Yoda, Windu and Obi Wan in a semi-circle and all looking at her. She appeared to have interrupted their conversation.

"Good evening,"

"Evening," Windu said coarsely and Obi Wan nodded. Yoda, on the other hand, looked grave, hovering on his floating chair.

"Good evening, young Shep, "Though not so good, the evening is,"

"Why's that…"

"We have worries and fears. Deeper and greater everyday, they grow. Go to Othen, we must, and soon. Tomorrow,"

Leelo took a double take, surprised. She glanced at Obi Wan and found the answers on his face. Her opinions on the existence and use of a clone army had done their work well. Obi Wan had relayed the message and therefore, the process was that much quicker.

"Very well," she offered, slowly, carefully, weary of Windu's expression. Not at all happy was he with the situation.

"But it will be a quick visit," he said sternly, "You and Master Reno have two days to show us,"

"Then you will have two days to decide,"

Windu went silent and Leelo felt victory rising,

"Not long is it, but whose problem is that? As of yet, it's not ours. I will see you in the morning, Master Yoda,"

"At dawn, we will leave,"

"I shall inform Anakin, then," Obi Wan said thoughtfully.

Yoda looked at Shep and she desperately wanted to tell him 'no'. Say 'no', she begged to the force. She grimaced even and yet the answer was inevitable though Yoda too, seemed reluctant.

She left without listening to the reality of the answer. She left to send word back to Jed who received it with a hmmm of speculation.

"It is good that you are weary but keep it to yourself for now. Kenobi and Windu will have to be his safe guard. You and I have other things to worry about,"

"There are measures we can take. He _is_ our problem, they all are,"

"Shep, we must at least try a leap of faith. But rest assured, if anything seems amiss, we'll do what we've always done."

He looked grim as he said it, a reassuring sign. She dreaded the idea of either of them taking pleasure in eradicating a problem with a lightsabre and it had been done before though Jed had spared her more often than not.

He had his stories, he just didn't have the scars on his skin to show them.

The next morning came swiftly and with it came a long flight through space back to Othen. She kept to herself for most of the flight, leaving the room when someone entered to avoid conversation and finding another window. As time swept by, other windows were growing scarce and she found herself trudging back and forth more often than she stayed to actually look out a window. She must have marched past the cockpit more times than she cared to count and to the captain and those who occupied it, she must have looked ridiculous, huffing and puffing her way past every so often.

But as the flight came to an end and they slowed down and came out of hyperspace, Othen was in view. Enormous and as black as the space surrounding it – the only way to distinguish it was to recognise the lack of any stars covering its mass. An orange rim was forming over the North horizon and the planet began to look like a hole.

As they descended into its atmosphere, dawn was painting the sky a dull blue and the sand was cool beneath the boot. Shep marched off more quickly than she anticipated, all but running to her Master who awaited their arrival in the wee hours of the morning, arms folded against the cold, hood up and his breath crystallising in front of him.

"Master," she said,

"Shep," he returned, a smile playing across thin lips, "It's good to see you back so soon. I was against the idea of 5 days. Whatever was I going to do without you?"

His light-hearted approach was not enough to calm Shep, she wanted to know that he was aware of her fears and took them seriously,

"Skywalker is here,"

"Yes," he nodded, "You told me, at last I can make a decision. And?"

"You know my fears,"

"I do but there's not a lot I can do about it now, Shep. You'll have to endure,"

Shep went silent. She turned upon the arrival of the rest of the crew; Obi Wan, Yoda and last but not least, Anakin Skywalker and slunk back behind Jed Reno who held his ground and allowed his glance to sweep over everyone, rest for moment on Anakin, before turning his attention to Master Yoda, who hobbled over on a flimsy walking stick, struggling against the grain of the sand,

"Allow me," Jed offered, and indicated for a seat not unlike the one Yoda had back at the temple which glided over and came to a halt at Yoda's level, allowing him to climb on comfortably and at last be level with the rest of them.

"Thank you," he bowed his head graciously, "An honour, it is, to finally meet you,"

"No, Master Yoda, I assure you the honour is all mine," he smiled, a cynical smile Shep had grown used too. Reno was calm and often overly optimistic, an emphatic and charismatic person who she didn't always understand and it was this that was the redeeming factor of her respect for him if all else appeared to fail. After 20 years of his training, she still had no idea what he was capable of.

"Mean to push, I do not but precious, our time is," Master Yoda began, "What – "

"All time is precious, Master Yoda, ours most of all. War is coming and with the existence of your clone army my apprentice has told me so much about, I fear it inches closer as the separatists grow more agitated,"

"Indeed," Yoda agreed,

"Who is the Sith Lord you seek?" Reno asked inquisitively,

"Darth Sidious," Obi Wan answered, "He's been in hiding for decades but he first made an attempt at disrupting the republic with a young Sith Lord named Darth Maul,"

"Ah…he scared me,"

Shep remembered that moment as clear as day. Jed had been stunned into stillness where Shep had charged after the retreating Sith Lord, even daring a jump to cut the power cables of the starship but she could not reach and fell back to earth while Maul sped away into the light of day.

"What are you doing?!" Shep had screamed.

"What…?" Jed had responded, still agape at the sudden appearance of a Sith and so very soon. Of course the panic was not over the Jedi Army having been found for they had barely started; more over having been discovered as simply alive outside of the Orders most widely known. They were on the Mountain terrain of Tatooine then.  
"Master!"

Jed suddenly sped away at such a pace Shep almost fell over in shock. He was calling for the evacuation of all of 100 Jedi Knights. The rumours were true, the threat real and so their merry gathering started to grow on the flatlands of Othen.

"Anyway," Jed Reno continued, drawing shep back from memory, "Perhaps we should get straight to the point – memory has no more use here nor does explanation. I'll show you,"

And with a glint in his eyes, Jed lead them away from the ship towards a strange looking hole in the ground, a crater. And as he ascended, the hole grew and grew until at last, doors started to make themselves known and Shep, no longer wanting to be a part of the party, discreetly slipped into one of the smaller entrances as the small troop lead by Jed were shown to the massive hall of Jedi Warfare.


	3. Chapter 3

Obi Wan was momentarily blinded by the sudden darkness surrounding them as they walked down a passage encrusted with dirt resembling a giant worm hole. Only when streams of light began to filter in from various outlets above them did Obi Wan begin to get a sense of where they were and how their lair – if one could be so bold – was formulated. He glanced around for Shep but she was not there. Only a light tapping from a little way away, perhaps in a different passage, almost like a child on tiptoes, alerted him to her presence.

Master Reno was talking quietly to Master Yoda a little way ahead of them and nodded earnestly on occasion when it was Yoda's turn to speak. The walk from here to there was a most mysterious thing and Obi Wan had it in his mind that perhaps Anakin was right – perhaps it was a mere fluke, a staged plan – perhaps even set up by the Sith – to draw Master Yoda away from the temple and leave it to the dogs.

"Still think this is real?" Anakin whispered sarcastically to him, as if he had read his thoughts, "Still think we're about to see something no Jedi has ever really dreamed of?"

"I don't know what I'm about to see, Anakin," Obi Wan answered, sternly but he regretted the anxiety that seeped into his tone which Anakin picked up on more quickly than a fly could blink,

"Why are they drawing us down here? I don't like this…I sense a trap,"

Obi Wan, however, did not sense anything of the sort – his senses were disrupted by the strange aroma of charred earth and his ears picked up on a buzz that seemed to clash and the hairs on his arms prickled under electric impulse – something big was awaiting them just around the bend and just before Jed allowed Yoda to float around the corner first, he glanced back cautiously, his eyebrows raised and a deep breath before he followed Yoda around.

"Anakin, put your lightsabre away – this is not a trap," Obi Wan said harshly, quickly, suddenly in a hurry to find out what lay beyond the corner. He quickened pace and heard Anakin do the same though his lightsabre was not put away – a peculiar twist, thought Kenobi. Perhaps it was for the best, when one's senses were dulled, perhaps it was wise to assume danger but what was quite miraculously before him was far greater, threatening and by no small feat, dangerous indeed.

Thousands upon thousands of shimmering swords clashing against one another, some fought only with sticks or the equivalent and that seemed to be more to the right of the enormous domed hall in which they fought.

Obi Wan looked down and felt his jaw drop,

"So it's true," he whispered, exasperated.

"You doubted it?" Reno mocked from nearby.

Anakin arrived behind him and Obi Wan could feel his awe, his confused amazement at being so wrong about his doubt and relieved at the truth and…something else, something Obi Wan daren't name though he spared the young Jedi a glance.  
The lightsabres that were used were a variety of colours, not just the primary colours of blue and green. There was an array of purples, pinks, oranges and even blacks. Some were a dull white or grey.

"Why…?" Obi Wan started but Jed began to answer before he had finished asking his question.

"Obviously this is not all of us but the idea behind this arrangement is to get used to fighting within close proximity. When in battle, you are bound to be mere inches from a brother in arms. The one's who fight with lightsabres are the ones who have enough confidence and skill to work around that obstacle, the ones without, obviously, are the ones who need a little work."

"You sound like a soldier. Are you training younglings?" Obi Wan looked at Jed curiously but Jed shook his head much to Obi Wan's relief,

"Not a soldier – not a mercenary. Someone with the smallest amount of common sense, however. I like to think. The youngest we have are 18 year olds. Still young but they're not bad for their age. We don't even have that many, it's a grand total of…" Jed did a quick calculation in his head before he came up with an answer,"100,"

"100…" Obi Wan repeated, still stupefied.

"Impressive, this is," Yoda spoke finally, breathing heavily, h'mmming loudly, "Dangerous,"

"Yes," Jed agreed, "We've had more than a few close shaves; Darth Maul being one of the lightest. It's easy to move a hundred, less so 10,000."

"That's a lot of lightsabres," Anakin mused, his gaze running over all the lights, drawing an amused chuckle from the master of odds,

"Indeed. But we don't supply those. If someone loses their lightsabre…well…." He shrugged and allowed the answer to be explained by oneself.

"It's a lot of power,"

"It's a lot of responsibility,"

"But imagine if this was all yours, imagine what you could do with it," Anakin sounded awed, too awed, too impulsive and Obi Wan found himself turning with a frown, a frown to warn Anakin but the boy was distracted and too enthralled by what was before him.

"It is mine," Jed said confidently and Obi Wan's attention turned back to Jed, "I have imagined what I could with it…" his voice then softened, the waves of thought crossed his face and added wrinkles when once there were none, "I've followed some of those dreams to the end and realised how foolish and wrong it would be. No. When the war is over – and it will be over, no matter what the outcome, these Jedi's will go back to whence they came,"

"Granted they're still here,"

"Indeed," Jed nodded.

"I think it would be wise to keep the army," Anakin said again, bluntly, rogue,

"Anakin," Obi Wan whispered fiercely,

"For what purpose?" Jed asked curiously, him and Anakin ignoring Obi Wan completely while Yoda listened carefully and watched patiently.

"We're Peace-keepers. We can keep the peace with more control. If an army is keeping the order, people will be less inclined to cause chaos,"

Obi Wan was stunned at was coming out of his mouth and he said it so earnestly. He wondered how he and Padme got on so well when their views differed dramatically. Allegiance to democracy appeared to be being distorted, bent around the rim.  
But Jed narrowed his eyes and hmm'd to himself quietly, regarding Anakin with a cocked head,

"Sounds like an authoritarian state. Sounds like Marshal Law. Sounds like," he smiled dryly, gauging Anakin acutely, "You don't know anything about people,"

Anakin looked offended,  
"I know more about people than you think,"

"I don't doubt it," Jed replied, his smile no less prominent and his eyes locking with Anakin's in a manner that seemed almost as if he was threatening Anakin with something unsaid. And as if it were a signal, Shep stepped from the shadows and made herself known, a stoical look on her brow that appeared to be equally as foreboding. Obi Wan understood what was happening just fine as did Yoda. A display of dominance. This was their domain and the Jedi were under their command. Should something go wrong, they would not be difficult to be rid of.

"Very well," Yoda said suddenly, breaking Anakin's reproach, "Very good, Master Reno, Very good. Most impressed I am. Now, I would appreciate some water, if possible. Very hot, it is. Accustomed to the heat, we are not."

"Of course," Jed said, the threat suddenly gone, the territorial debate over and he shrunk back to the charm he had on display moments before, "If you head straight back down the hall, someone will be there to lead you to the refreshments. I trust you'll enjoy them,"

"Tomorrow, before we leave, a walk through your troops, I'd like to have," Yoda stated as he began to float away.

Jed nodded accommodatingly,  
"That should not be a problem. I will happily make the walk with you. Probably best to go early morning,"

"Be there, I will," and off he floated, beckoning Anakin to follow him with a gentle but stern,  
"Best you follow me, young Skywalker."

Anakin was reluctant but Obi Wan would not let him stay. He took a meaningful step in between him and Jed and threw a sharp look at his young apprentice before turning to Jed,

"I apologise,"

"Don't," Jed chuckled, "He's very ambitious. Strong point of view. Worth being respectful of,"

"He still needs guidance,"

"Oh, of course," Jed glanced at him with a look that said the thought was far too obvious to be said. A moment came and went in a whisper, words left unspoken, before Jed sighed casually,

"Tell me about Syfo-Dias,"

Obi Wan's head spun so fast he felt his neck crick, his eyes darted briefly between Shep and Jed.

"What would you like to know?" he finally responded, calmly enough, he thought, to cover his unease.

"Well, you see, Master Kenobi, I knew Syfo-Dias. He was a friend – we met on some strange planet due to some unforeseen circumstance but we got there. I went to him when I started hearing rumours and shaky truths about the newfound existence of a growing Sith…community…perhaps? Somewhere in the system. He confirmed these things to me and told me he had been trying to convince Order 66 to take action but they refused," he gave Obi Wan a mock-woeful glance, "So he had a plan. The plan was –"

"…to create a clone army,"

"Yes, a grand clone army – an army of the republic to fight against the separatists,"

"And…you disagreed,"

"I most certainly did – he listened to my proposition for I too came up with a plan to fight not only the separatists but the Sith for what good would it do to have a system without its people. The separatists are merely citizens with a different point of view. We're obviously oppressing them in some way,"

Obi Wan was going to retort but thought better of it and let Jed continue for he seemed so immersed in his own story that it probably wouldn't have mattered what Obi Wan said.

"Why oppress them with blasters…they'll only fight back harder. Have a Jedi army, and they'll be fighting peacekeepers, men and women with swords – a psychological obstacle easily shoved aside. The illusion of swords being easy to overpower will ease their worry. He disagreed but to be honest, I was more worried about the Sith for the separatist problem was and is only really in your system and I told him so but…too much disagreement lead to the end of our friendship. I trust Shep told you the dangers of the clone army?"

"She opened my eyes to it, opened them a little wider at least,"

"Hmm…Good. You trust Anakin Skywalker?"

Obi Wan felt unease increase, he looked over at Jed again who still did not look at him. Only Shep was eyeing him up curiously.

"I do. However, like I said –"

"Like you said will have nothing to do with the problem, Master Kenobi. The problem being; he's close with Senator Palpatine, is he not?"

"…He is but he is mindful,"

"You know this? Who is the mentor – you or Palpatine? Their relationship is close,"

"What does Palpatine have to do with the situation?"

"Oh, Obi Wan, don't let me down with silly answers. Something is out of place. Shep tells me there is a strange air to him when she met in the halls of the Jedi Temple,"

"You met him?" Obi Wan glanced incredulously at Shep, shocked at how easily she managed to get around without being detected.  
But as was to be expected, she offered no more than a curt nod as confirmation.

"Yes…he has been in office far longer than any senator has ever been before…I don't think it's by public election either,"

"No…You don't trust him, then. Skywalker does. What you hear in your counsel room, undoubtedly reaches the ears of Palpatine via the word of young Skywalker. Dangerous, Master Kenobi, very dangerous. I trust you understand what I'm telling you…"

This time Jed did look at Obi Wan, his yellow rimmed eyes glinting in the half light, an ominous mix of light and dark working around him.

Obi Wan understood and, in his bones, he knew it for the best.

"If we are right and our fears realised, that boy will be our downfall,"

Obi Wan nodded submissively,

"Alright, I'll keep a closer eye on him,"

Obi Wan bowed his head in an act of farewell and had taken two steps away when Jed's gravelly voice scraped the walls to get to him,

"Two eyes, please, Master Kenobi. I find two more efficient,"

Obi Wan didn't know whether to laugh or accept it as a real correction. Shep Leelo and Jed Reno were enigmas. He didn't know what was driving them and could not and doubted he would ever find out what the truth behind them was. They simply were. Jed more so than Shep but they fitted together like a shadow to a body.

Obi Wan wondered back thoughtfully, soft voices with meaningless words following his every step. He rounded a corner and found Yoda perched conveniently on a chair by a marble table, a glass of water nearby. Anakin was drifting restlessly about the area, his itching feet yearning to explore the contents of where they were, what appeared to be a hole in the ground.

"I don't like this," he snapped,

Obi Wan sighed, he was too tired to argue and Anakin was constantly disagreeing. It was hard no matter how fond he was of him. His ambition outgrew his boots, his ideas outweighed reason and Obi Wan often wondered if making him a Jedi so soon was a good idea. Then sometimes, he wondered if Anakin only argued and questioned simply to prove his worth as an independent Jedi Knight. Either way, Obi Wan was tired.  
He glanced at Anakin wearily before taking a seat near Yoda, who gazed into nothing.

"A strange place, this is," he said thoughtfully. Obi Wan looked over at him if only to show that he heard if not to speak, "I sense a discomfort with our clone army,"

"I sense a discomfort about Order 66," he muttered,

"Maybe not all of us, hmm?"

Yoda knew. Obi Wan could tell or otherwise Yoda would not have said it. When Obi Wan dared a glance at Anakin, he saw how Anakin had not looked back but clearly heard and again, Obi Wan wondered if he knew too. Obviously the minor dispute between him and Jed must have pressed a few buttons but still.

"Anakin," Obi Wan said finally, slumped back in his chair, legs crossed, in the most unthreatening pose he could be in, "You must not tell Chancellor Palpatine,"

Anakin turned, a flash of anger,  
"Why shouldn't he know? It's the army of the republic,"

"The Clones are, Anakin, the Jedi army is not."

"He should still know; if there's an army that can bring an end to this war then he should know,"

"Now, now, Young Skywalker," Yoda hushed, drawing silence from chaos, "A request from our hosts, it is. Advise you, I would, to not break their trust,"

"They don't trust us, so what does it matter?"

"Anakin," Obi Wan said sternly, "That's the point. We have to earn their trust, after all, they're right," he glanced at Yoda, "We need them,"

Yoda nodded and with his nod came the end of the conversation though Anakin looked displeased.

The night went by slowly for Obi Wan could not sleep. By the sounds of rustling linen, neither could the others. The sleeping arrangements were comfortable enough but the heat seeped in from the outside like a disease; reaching in through the porous skin of the earth and settling on his. Twice he woke up drenched as if he'd stood in the rain for too long. The second time, though, he did not bother to go back to sleep. He got up and wondered the black earthy halls of the underground Jedi temple. Feeling daring, he headed out towards the exit and emerged in wide open nothingness – the landscape as dark as the space above them and yet the moon was bright enough to allow one to differentiate between the two.

But above all, even above the loneliness of such a vast, deserted place, Obi Wan felt safe. Taking a deep breath of fresh, cool air, he felt nothing; no presence, nothing sinister, no life – nothing to worry about. He wondered if anyone had ever thought to simply exist here and not worry about politics for politics, surely, had forgotten about this place.

Obi Wan turned this way and that to take in the almighty expanse of isolation and found it extraordinary. What an ingenious idea it was to build an army on a place the galaxies had abandoned.

"Well, Master Kenobi, I should have known you to be a wonderer…alas," Obi Wan turned swiftly, startled at the sudden appearance of Jed, his eyes glowing in the dark, disconcerting, "I thought otherwise,"

"Good evening, Master Reno," Obi Wan offered a small smile, "You gave me quite a shock, I wasn't quite expecting someone else up and about,"

Jed looked amused,  
"No? Interesting, I'm 'up and about' most nights. It's a beautiful place to be at night. I think most natural places before and after people are quite lovely. An earth existing entirely on its own is quite something," he shrugged, "I don't know why us hominids like to think we're vital to the existence of all things,"

"I…don't know either," he shrugged back, feeling somewhat guilty of being human.

"hmm…anyway,"

Silence descended easily onto them, their voices swallowed up by the night and it was so quiet, Obi Wan could almost see his own thoughts dancing on the burned earth metres ahead of him. One of those thoughts was exactly about ash and fire and then…Shep and he frowned.

"Master Reno –" he began but Reno waved him off,

"I don't know why you call me that. I have no right to the rank of Master, I have ascended no ladder of authority, I've merely put myself there. Even Shep knows that,"

"But she calls you Master,"

"Yup," he grinned.

Obi Wan raised a bemused eyebrow. 'Yup'. How obscure, Jed Reno was tall, lean, formal, enigmatic, charismatic and so very odd. Daring to throw a colloquialism into an otherwise fairly formal conversation. Tossing aside his authority. Obi Wan might say these mannerisms hinted at a recklessness that could pose as another danger but Obi Wan didn't want to think about that.

"About Shep…Jed," he said, glancing cautiously at Reno but he paid it no mind, "Her burns,"

"How'd she get them?"

"If you don't mind me asking,"

"The best person to ask is her, Master Kenobi,"

"Obi Wan, if we're going to use first names,"

"Fair. Obi Wan, I don't actually know,"

Obi Wan, again, found himself in a state of surprise.

"Where is she from?"

He shrugged again.

"Where are you from?"

"Mayren, a planet some 60 000 odd kilometres from Othen. As green as green could be,"

"Aren't you both from there then?"

"No," Jed looked at him once, "No, I met her on Naboo, believe it or not. Can't remember the circumstances, can't remember much." His eyes glazed over, darkening, "That was a dark time,"

"On Naboo?"

"Yes… believe it or not. On Naboo. Shep was training under A Jedi Master whose name, forgive me, escapes me as well. She was chaos, though. Worse than young Skywalker, probably,"

Obi Wan snorted.

"No, I'm serious, " he stated firmly and when Obi Wan continued his look of disbelief, even while looking Jed straight in the eye, he explained, "I assume she got the scars from some peculiar run-in on a mission. She got herself into a lot of trouble with me, I can only assume, it was worse back then…or maybe not. Maybe I merely got the end of it, where she grew up."

"Anakin never did,"

Jed laughed, a careless laugh,

"He will eventually, give the boy time."

Obi Wan liked to think of this moment he and Jed found the first ounce of common ground and mutual understanding.

"Yes…Shep is an odd one but she's saved my life countless times. I remember the day I asked if she'd like to help me with something," he gestured to the entrance to Jedi Temple, "This something, as if it were yesterday. She thought about it long and hard for two weeks before she told me that 'as long as they go back to being Jedi's, as long as we wipe out temptation at the end – I will do it'. It was wise beyond her years. Wise beyond me,"

He glanced at Obi Wan who made a show of shame for his thoughts had been called.

"I'm not nearly as wise as people need to believe I am, nor careful. I inevitably will decided the wrong thing is right. I need her. That was the moment I decided she was perfect. She would lead when I was unfit. She would take action if I turned. I trained her to be me, I made her like myself for I knew that with time she'd surpass me whether she knew it or not. I lead them in body, she leads them in spirit. So I agreed. When this is over, the army will flutter away," he gestured with his hand, a gesture imitating a butterfly, "And we, by her hand, mine or maybe yours, will be eradicated,"

Obi Wan took a double take, eyes wide as he turned his whole body to look upon Jed. But Jed seemed unfazed,

"Yes, Obi Wan, if you need a clearer answer, Shep and I will have to die. When the Sith are gone, we will be cancerous. We will die."

"How?"

"Well does anyone know their own fate?"

Obi Wan shook his head, letting the truth of the matter sink in before he tried again,

"Do you mean to end yourselves or…will someone do it for you?"

"I haven't thought that far…I hope that's understandable. As much as it is inevitable and constant, I do try not to think about it. I don't want to die, really,"

"I'm sure…"

The words trailed off like melting snow.  
As they watched, the darkness began to slowly lighten and when the sun finally made its appearance, the horizon tore like paper to allow the orange haze to come through.

"Time to go," Jed muttered and he turned on his heal and left Obi Wan to watch the sunrise over the earth. Everything always seemed so different in the night time.

OoOoOoOoOoO

When Obi Wan finally did go in, he found Shep, Jed, Yoda and Anakin all standing by the entrance to the massive training room. The whir of lightsabres slowly coming into action. Quiet words exchanged, a few laughs. It sounded like another world altogether.

"Obi Wan, glad you could join us. I was worried I'd lost you to the sunrise," Jed smiled. Again, the strange other-worldly smile, a dangerous confidence while Shep blurred in his shadow.  
"Dare you enter first?" Jed stepped aside, almost mocking Obi Wan on a catch -22; damned if he would, damned if he won't.

Yoda said nothing, standing quite still in the door way, looking out at what was before him and what could be before Obi Wan.

"Come, Obi Wan, go and see, we must." Yoda glanced back and uttered, "Fear I sense, unusual that is,"

He hobbled out without his floating chair and Obi Wan was forced to follow, ignoring the steady gaze of both the master and the apprentice.  
Anakin's foot-steps could be heard behind him. They split up after a time, each Jedi wondering down their own path, taking in their surroundings – talking to those who didn't mind being spoken too, watching those who didn't mind being assessed.

The clashes, mock though they may have been, alongside cries of pain as fingers were caught between sticks and burns were ascertained, Obi Wan swore he could see it. A future, an end.  
Through the forest of flashing light, Obi Wan saw how Shep might have been burned. He should have known, burns like hers were unique to lightsabres.

People like her and Jed were unique to vengeance and as their eyes met, somewhere in the middle, he sensed her own worry matching his own.

"SOMEONE IS HERE!"

Everything stopped. Obi Wan stalled and Jed turned to the staller, his feet turning on dirt echoing over the hall. A boy, out of breath and skin as black as the night sky, scared.

"Who?"

"I don't know. But they have lightsabres too."

Then Jed was gone. Shep was left standing quite still. Everyone was standing quite still. The air grew thick. Obi Wan grew reluctant to breathe. The moments stretched on and on and on until Yoda finally said,

"I think….time it is, to leave," he looked around, "All of us."


	4. Chapter 4

Obi Wan stood still, waiting for something to happen, watching while Shep stood equally as still looking out at the Jedi troops as they looked back, awaiting a decision as to what to do.  
Obi Wan glanced at Anakin who appeared to be itching to see what was causing the shake in the atmosphere.  
Yoda seemed calm, focused, aware.  
Obi Wan felt his nerves ringing out. He wanted to go out to Jed and he looked to Yoda for permission and Yoda wasn't looking but Anakin was,

"Stay here," Obi Wan uttered before moving off in search of Jed, leaving no time to allow Anakin to retort.

He walked past Shep who spared a millisecond of a glance but offered no right or wrong answer.

The light blinded him temporarily as he emerged from the darkness within. Like staring directly into the sun itself, like a light when one is only just waking.

He was expecting to walk into a sort of chaos, to see what he had kept seeing throughout his years of being a Jedi and being a Padiwan; he walks out to find the battle having started without him.

But there was nothing. Only Jed and the boy who warned him of whatever it was that came for them staring out into nothing blankly.  
When Obi Wan arrived at Jed's side, Jed opened his mouth to say something but whatever it was fell back and he closed it again. Then it returned,

"I'm unsure of what to do, really,"

"It was there, Master, I swear," the boy said assuredly, flustered, worried about being accused of a lie.

"What was it?" Obi Wan tried,

"A ship, big and black with wings– like a bird,"

"Sounds like the ships from Corascunt,"

"Oh, Obi Wan you don't want to be telling me that,"

"I'm sure there are other ships like it in other galaxies, we're not technologically advanced,"

"You live on a planet that is one big city," Jed turned to him, a stony gaze, "It's impossible for you not to be…still! You are quite right, it may very well be a ship from somewhere else far, far away…"

He turned back to the distance, squinting, trying to see that which could not be.  
Obi Wan dared to turn around, somewhat worried about what might be behind them but was simultaneously relieved and disappointed.

"Go, " Jed said and when Obi Wan turned to find out who he was talking to, he found the boy beginning to wander off hesitantly, "As far as you dare, see what lies just beyond. I'm watching,"

"I will go too, then," Obi Wan resolved, "I'm curious,"

Jed nodded and so Obi Wan set off just behind the boy.

The heat was seeping through the soles of his boots again and he felt the same discomfort as before when he and Windu had first arrived.

Once they had walked at least 500 metres out, Obi Wan made them stop,

"There's nothing out here, whatever you saw is gone," he turned to bothered boy, "We should go back,"

"OBI WAN!"

Obi Wan spun on his heel at the sound of his name sailing across the flatlands.

In the distance, Jed Reno was racing back towards the base. His cloak billowing in the wind as he did so.  
He could not see what was happening, but he trusted his instinct like he had always done,

"Come on!"

It was hot, running across the sand in the heat, running across sand the way it didn't let you move properly.

Further ahead something jumped out of the hole they called the new Temple and sprinted away from Jed; after him jumped Shep and Anakin and then Yoda and soon all of them were in hot pursuit of this being that posed as a threat. A black mass that blurred and threatened to become a mirage.

But then even further ahead, the dust picked up and so did the wind and it became difficult to run against it.  
The air ahead of them all seemed to shake and tear until a ship that was not there, was and it was like a bird. Exactly that of the description the boy had given them.

Obi Wan, surprised, felt himself slowing.

OoOoOoOoO

Shep's eyes were burning, a strange feeling creeping up her spine amidst the chaos but she was almost on the Sith and so she whipped out her lightsabre and prepared to launch herself upon him but alas, he did so first. Launching himself high and toward the ship's platform, which hung open like a gaping mouth.  
He landed gracefully and looked down at them smugly from inside the confines of a hood.

"Jump, Shep! Try!" Jed shouted at her and so she did. She jumped, aware that Jed followed suit, alongside Yoda and Anakin. She missed, swinging blindly at nothing, trying to at least cut a power cable so that the ship would cripple and be easy to find. But she missed.

Jed was above her as she fell back down to earth. He managed to grab onto platform as it began to ascend blocking their way in. Anakin made it and launched into a full frontal attack but was no match, for the moment he raised his lightsabre, whatever Sith awaited his arrival merely pushed him off. He plummeted to the ground.

Shep thought to soften his fall briefly, but a part of her sneered and whispered, 'let him drop'.

Obi Wan rescued the painful landing though and the same part that told her to let him drop was disappointed. It would not have meant his death after all. Merely bruised and a few broken bones.

She turned her attention back up to Jed who was dangling dangerously from a fast ascending ship. He was trying to make his way to the power hold, where the oil tank was.

Shep had to slow it down but she feared she had not the power to do it on her own. She glanced at Yoda who seemed prepared,

"Ready when you are," he confirmed hoarsely.

So Shep raised her hands, closed her eyes and began to pull.  
The Force welled up inside of her and used up conserved energy from every corner of her being, from the earth – from the ship which suddenly lurched and jolted to a halt, threatening to send Jed flying off of it.

The tension was slowly relieved as Shep pulled, she felt the energy being shared and she found herself tiring less quickly.  
She opened her eyes; Jed was an inch away from accomplishing the mission, his body upholstered by the same force that was keeping the ship from flying away with him hanging off the side of it. He was, however, struggling with it. She could see. It wasn't opening and he had only one arm to spare. His lightsabre buzzed to life to help make things easier and he began to cut around it.

"Come on!" she tried to call but her energy expenditure was too much and the moment she tried, it felt like everything was sucked from her and suddenly she could no longer pull.

She let go and dropped breathlessly to her knees.

But Yoda and Obi Wan, as it turned out, held on. As did Jed.

But the ramp began to open again and much to Jed's obvious surprise, the Sith came sailing around the back of the Ship, using the momentum of the swinging drop and pull of the force. He resorted to an old tactic of punching him and Jed was forced to let go of the power hatch he was clinging too while the Sith got stuck half way with his tether keeping him attached to the ship.

Jed fell in a flurry of entangled limbs, spinning furiously and hurtling towards the ground with ferocious speed. Shep, in sudden surge of fear, leapt to her feet and pushed back which confused everyone and a deep rumble was heard as the force appeared to be confused too and a surge of energy sent everything up including the ship.

Shep felt her feet leave the ground briefly, and she had a moment of worry, unsure of what was about to happen as this wave of confused energy was new. But she, and everyone else, soon landed and Jed's descent was slowed and reversed as he started to rise and then when everyone stopped pushing and pulling, he fell and landed on his back; winded.

The ship, however, stuttered and heaved and then shot into lightspeed and was gone.

Jed groaned, arching his back, trying to regain the air he lost and the muscles he'd twisted.

"Are you alright, Master?" Shep had run to his side and knelt down, "Ease up, come on…"

"That was…" he started but fell into a fit of coughing.

"Dangerous that was," Yoda uttered, hobbling up to them, followed closely by Obi Wan and Anakin and not least of all, the boy who had stood feebly on the side lines, watching in fear and awe, "Very dangerous,"

"What was that surge of energy? At the end when we were all almost thrown sky high…" Anakin asked, aghast.

"It happens with a push/pull confusion. Believe it or not, they're two different energies," Jed rasped, "And it's not as powerful as it feels which…" he coughed, "Adds to the puzzlement."

"So who pushed? Them?"

"Me,"

Anakin turned to Shep irritably, but she waved him off,

"Did you manage to achieve anything? Are they crippled?"

"Absolutely nothing," Jed finally managed to regain his breath and stood up, albeit shakily, leaning on Shep, "Which is why…we must go. Come!"

He let go of Shep and took two shaky steps, then three and then he walked as if nothing were wrong and then he ran.

When they arrived at the entrance, he turned to the boy who was sweating and breathless,

"Send word to the other pilots. We're leaving,"

The boy nodded and continued to run.

"What other pilots are there?" Obi Wan asked and Shep felt irritated with him. He asked so much, he wanted to know so much. He was a Jedi, was the point of being a Jedi not simply trusting in the Force and those alike and around you? She grimaced at his back as they followed Jed while he briskly walked into the stomach of the hole where the Jedi masses awaited them.

"Not all of us are soldiers. We have pilots among us," as soon as he had said that, twenty or so men and women ran past them, "We need them for transport and hasty exits,"

He had the audacity to grin ironically back at them and Shep shook her head. He was such a bundle of joy – he found fun in bitter situations, laughed in the face of danger and wiped away pain as if it were never there even when the evidence streamed out of the cuts in his skin.

"They are armed, we have supplied them apt equipment and have promised them protection as long as they have promised us the same."

"You have ships, then?" Anakin asked, throwing out his hands, "No wonder they found you – ships are traceable, and it's not easy to hide them on a planet that has no real shelter unless you hide them in here,"

"Patience, Skywalker,"

They marched out onto a balcony overlooking the masses and at the sound of their arrival, silence took over and all attention was on them.

"Let's go!" was all Jed said and suddenly the still and obedient troops started forward, streaming out of the great hall single file but incredibly fast. Practised, coordinated,

"You've had evacuation drills?" Obi Wan asked her, awed.

She nodded, making sure she was wearing her best 'what a stupid question' expression.

But Jed was moving briskly again,

"Is registered transport in use at Corascunt?"

"Yes…why?" Obi Wan asked hesitantly.

"F89128N…F89 is a Corascunt registration code, no?"

Shep looked at Obi Wan expectantly and continued to do so throughout his silence even as they emerged back outside again.

"Curious, this is," Yoda said finally,

"Curious? It appears, Master Jedi, that your diplomatic problem is more relevant to us than I anticipated which is inconvenient, to say the least. It also appears that you were right, Obi Wan – sounded and indeed looked like a ship from Corascunt,"

In light of their current conversation, Shep watched as their ships appeared one by one out of the blue ahead of them and enjoyed the flummox on all their faces but Yoda's and it was thrilling, though the situation was dire, to see their troops move with such militant precision. The first of a series of military procedures that made them strong and powerful.

"I assume that heightens your suspicions about Chancellor Palpatine even more?" Anakin asked accusingly, pulling his attention away from the appearance of their getaway transport.

"Yes it does, Skywalker and you would be wise to consider it too,"

"You have no right to impugn his honour, he wants this war over just as much as we do!"

"Then you go back to him and prove it!" Jed spun around fursiously, surprising everyone, his face inches from Anakin's who didn't flinch but instead showed a steady build of rage, "Go back."

Jed regained his composure and looked upon them all but namely at Yoda, who maintained a calm composure and Shep wondered if Jed too, found comfort in the steady quiet of the old Jedi Knight.

"Go back to Corascunt and seek out the root of the problem there. Solve it. We will be on Mayren. Do not call upon us, we will call upon you and it more than likely will be soon. As far as you or anyone else is concerned, Othen is dead and we were never here."

Shep looked over their Jedi faces for confirmation but only Master Yoda seemed content with the plan,

"Agreed,"

Jed nodded sternly, glanced at Shep and then moved up the platform and disappeared onto the ship with the rest of them.

Shep hesitated, before she turned to them all,

"May the Force be with you,"

And followed the last of the Jedi Soldiers up the ramps, signalling to the other ships to take off.

OoOoOoO

She found Jed standing by the window, watching as they left the 3 Jedi guests behind.

"I wonder," he muttered, sure she was there, though she made no sound, "Did you feel it?"

"What?"

"That familiar feeling that you and another have met before,"

She had but had ignored it. Wanting to remain ignorant for the only person that would generate such a feeling would be another Jedi or at the very least, another person who was aware of the Force. The only person she knew was someone she'd rather forget and besides…that person was gone, were they not?

"I…did not get that, no," she lied and she knew Jed knew it for he looked at her blankly.

"Do you remember how you and I met?"

"Yes, I was in a ditch; broken, bruised, battered,"

"All but dead," he mused. Shep felt a swell of frustration,

"What are you saying, Master, what's going on in your head?"

"I'm saying…that Sith looked a lot like someone we knew,"

Shep took a careful step forward,

"You said you left him –"

"All…but dead…"

OoOoOoO

Obi Wan looked out of his own window, hurtling through space at lightspeed, the stars blurred so as to be a single strip of light painted haphazardly across the black canvas.

"It's insulting for them to presume so much! How dare they?! The arrogant fools!" Anakin was raging, fuming so much so that Obi Wan, when he turned to look at his companion, could see the smoke filtering out from his ears, "When Chancellor Palpatine –"

"Anakin, did you send word back to the Chancellor about our mission?"

Anakin stalled and stopped his furious pacing, gazing at Obi Wan incredulously,

"What does it matter?"

"Answer the question, Anakin, did you or did you not send word back to Palpatine?"

"Yes, I did," he turned away angrily, shielding his guilt from Obi Wan's knowing eyes. He knew what he had done was wrong and Obi Wan had known him to do it a lot. To recognise the wrong only after it had been done. It lead him down a complicated path of trying to justify it. This however, was a betrayal that meant their imminant end should Palpatine be the Sith they had been searching for and even worse, the Sith who stood at the pinnacle of their destruction or glory. Obi Wan sincerely hoped, for all their sakes, that their instincts were wrong.

"He needs to know!"

"We gave them our word, Anakin," Obi Wan insisted quietly, "We promised them that word would not get out and if it did, it would not be because of us,"

"Chancellor Palpatine is not evil, he is not the man we are hunting and word did NOT get out because of us,"

"It is coincidental isn't it," Obi Wan turned from Anakin only briefly to spy Yoda gazing thoughtfully at them, listening to Anakin argue and Obi Wan talk.

"What is?"

"The appearance of the Sith, the connection to Corasunt – all after your contact with the Chancellor,"

Anakin went silent but the steady rise and fall of his shoulders told Obi Wan most of what he needed to know. Anakin was doing what he was taught to do; taking control of his anger. Obi Wan had not won, he had merely overstepped some sort of mark. He would push Anakin no further.

So he left the little windowed compartment they were in and made his way to Yoda who sat comfortably still and shut the door.

Obi Wan sat down wearily,

"Sometimes I wish Qui Gon were here to show me how exactly I was supposed to train that boy,"

"The absence of a presence we wish was here; to be the presence we need to be, it teaches us. Grace in death, there is. Much to learn, you have,"

"Yes, well so does he,"

"And from you, learn it, he will,"

"Master Yoda, was I not too young to take on an apprentice?"

"Yes,"

Obi Wan glanced over at Yoda sharply, not the answer he was anticipating and not the answer he wanted but Yoda paid it no heed,

"But train him, the council would not. A twist of fate it was, for you to imitate your Master. Ignored us, you did and chose to train him when we had said 'no'. Qui Gon, taught you well but left you with his resilience,"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that sometimes, bend the rules, we must and in so doing, we learn. Doing fine, you are, Obi Wan, have faith in the Force,"

Obi Wan nodded but for all the good Yoda's words did him, the relief was only temporary. Qui Gon had taught him well but left him with his resilience when he was at his most impressionable. Obi Wan sometimes wished he hadn't. Then Anakin wouldn't worry him so much.  
He was a fragile human being who clung to emotion like a spider to its web. Mostly when it was important to let go but Obi Wan had given Qui Gon his word and gone against the guidance of the council. He paid the price daily…

But sometimes he was rewarded. Those times were often when Obi Wan was in need, when death was knocking at his door, when Anakin's attachment had him staying by Obi Wan's side and carrying him out of a ship that was plummeting to a planet without control.

"I worry, Master Yoda. If Palpatine is the Sith we've been looking for, what then?"

"Then deal with it, we will. Young Skywalker will learn from his mistakes in time,"

"This could mean our end, Master," Obi Wan insisted but Yoda waved his hand slowly, wiping away a stray concern, a whisper of a threat,

"And put that on Skywalker's shoulders, we will not. Solve this mystery, we will."

OoOoOoO

Corascunt was enveloped in the night time by the time they had arrived. Anakin stormed off the ship with the air of one who had been done impossible wrong and Obi Wan followed not long after, leaving Yoda deep in conversation with the pilot.

Obi Wan didn't follow Anakin though he knew where he was going. Instead, he started on his own brisk walk to find Master Windu.  
He found him in the meditation room, deep in thought but his worry was etched on his face, and a peace medium could not be found.

"I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi," was all he said when Obi Wan entered.

He took a seat next to the thoughtful Jedi and nodded gravely,

"They were found out,"

"Yes…I know,"

"They're heading for a planet on the outer rim, Mayren,"

"I wonder how they found out,"

Obi Wan glanced at Windu but his face showed no signs of wonder. It seemed rather set in its way, the answer clear in his own mind.

"Anakin did send word to Palpatine but I don't believe Anakin has anything to do with this plot you sense,"

"That doesn't matter, Obi Wan, the outcome will remain the same if the mistake is not recognised,"

"What do you propose we do?"

"What can we do? Master Yoda will have to talk it over with the counsel,"

"Master Reno said he'd be in contact with us when the time came,"

"Ah," Windu opened and closed a hand, tracing a small scar over his right hand knuckle, "Then we'll await them,"

"We have to get to the bottom of this before they do," Obi Wan responded urgently, "I gave them our word – the first one was broken. This is even more important. We need proof of Palpatine's involvement – the only reason we're still in contact with them is because the registration code of that Sith transporter was from Corascunt. Now the city is obviously big but if we're to be honest, it must be right here,"

"Then ask Skywalker,"

"Master?" Obi Wan looked at him quizzically, hoping for another answer, an explanation that seemed easier and less likely to drive Anakin away from them.

"Ask the boy to spy for us. If it's proof we need, then he can get it. If Anakin can be trusted then this is how he'll prove it. It's dangerous putting them two together. It's dangerous having them apart. I feel a shift happening in the force. You can feel it. Master Yoda feels it. This needs to be stopped. If needs be, leave Anakin with no other choice,"

"He'll hate me,"

"For all our sakes, Master Kenobi, including his," Windu looked Obi Wan straight in the eye, "I hope not,"

The confrontation with Anakin later that afternoon didn't go very well. Anakin rounded on Obi Wan with rage and left with nothing more to say when he stormed off after having been told that it was not Obi Wan's initiative, it was that of the council's. Obi Wan could feel Anakin's growing resentment of the council and it was puzzling. The boy had wanted nothing more than to be on it and now that he was, every request of him was taken with a scornful pinch of salt and suspicion.

Obi Wan resolved to follow Anakin to the diplomatic epitome of everything, where Chancellor Palpatine sat quietly looking on what he had helped build and was undoubtedly planning on destroying.

"Ah, Anakin, come closer, I have good news,"

Obi Wan listened with bated breath, the conversation that followed until at last,

"They've asked you to spy on me haven't they?"

"I…I don't know what to say,"

"It is inevitable, the Jedi's want of power has me threatened. If needs be, they'll have me killed,"

"No, they won't,"

"You know they feel you are a threat to them, Anakin. And why else would they keep the existence of a Jedi Army from me? They have clones…"

"…I don't have an answer to that, Chancellor. Clones are conditions for warfare, not loyalty,"

"Yes, but if trained incorrectly, Jedi can find themselves as Siths,"

"It will not happen,"

"Well if the Jedi seek power, it might,"

With each passing word of Palpatine, Anakin took longer to respond and when he did, it seemed weakened, less convinced.

"You and I are threat to them, Anakin. I am weary even if you are not. If needs be…"

The words trailed off to let the notion of what could be simply sink in on its own.

Anakin was slipping out of his reach and the twisted words of Palpatine were not enough. Obi Wan walked away. Feeling, somewhat, threatened but on a more personal level.


	5. Chapter 5

Mayren was like a planet should have looked, dotted with green, stretched in blue and dashed in brown. Evidence of a planet that struggled in summer, died in autumn, rejuvenated in winter and bloomed in spring.

They were in the open, pitching tents and canopies that sheltered them from the weather. In the wide open and as far from civilisation as possible.

Jed watched over as these things were built up. The way he stood so rigidly, his gaze focused, yet not on whatever was before him, told Shep that the events of the days before were haunting him. And so it should have been, she was worried too.

"You should rest, Master, it's been a long time since you slept," she said stiffly

"I can't afford too."

"You can, you taught me to be vigilant, so let me be vigilant besides," she smirked, "I have better eyes,"

"You have terrible instincts,"

She went quiet,

"You don't mean that,"

"No." Jed said turning to her, "No, I don't."

She met his gaze but regretted it the moment she did. He was looking for something inside of her and she wanted to push him out, to not let him in.

"I'll go and see to them," she gestured none too specifically to the masses pitching their shelters and turned to leave but Jed called her back,

"Don't you want to talk about the plan?"

"What plan…?"

"Plan B so to speak. We were driven out of Othen but inevitably, we will go back,"

"So be it,"

She turned to leave again but again he would not let her,

"Shep…you did feel that presence,"

"What of it, Master?" she felt irritated and expressed it in the way she rolled her eyes and she did it to irritate Jed but he seemed so still, so very careful. His care irritated her more. Tiptoeing over unseen egg shells, worried for her safety when she was trained to look after herself, worried for her darkness which was the reason why he took her on in the first place and all it had amounted to was that he had not protected her from the moment he swore to. It made her angry and the only thing that that would amount to would be him worrying about her anger and the worry would no longer be about her and she'd be brushed aside once more.

"Why did you lie and say you did not feel it?"

"I wanted to ignore it,"

"Foolish,"

"Ignorant. Ignorance is bliss, so they say,"  
Again, she tried to leave but Jed persisted.

"Are you angry?"

"No,"

"I did not teach you to be a Jedi, Shep. You have feelings? Then say so,"

"You failed,"

And then she left, she left as if having dropped something irrevocable in water. She sensed Jed watching her, slightly stunned but it was how she felt. He asked, she answered.  
She wondered down into the valley and through the masses and she began to go over it all in her head. The memories that she had supressed and had managed to cover up and which took years to overcome and forget, suddenly back in a heartbeat.

Memories that were now linked up to the present and were no longer viably passed off as irrelevant.  
She thought about Anakin and Obi Wan and this man, Palpatine that Jed, Obi Wan and Yoda worried so much about.  
She smirked to herself, who was he anyway and why had he not appeared on her radar before? She could see perfectly well why Anakin was a threat or the very least, might be but it was impossible for him to influence a wiser, older man. And to infiltrate the Senate and hold power over the biggest City in over two Galaxies was quite a feat. Impossible to miss.

The Jedi Order 66 must be missing some vital instincts to have missed a Sith Lord sitting in their presence and then ultimately, it would come down to them. Should Corascunt fall, it would undoubtedly effect the economics and development of neighbouring galaxies whose structure and smooth runnings depended on the continuing roll of development on Corascunt.

She stopped, unless of course, Palpatine was not the man they should have been worrying about.  
She gazed on over a group of men fighting each other, sword-play as smooth and swift as a rolling river.  
Where did the information come from?

She began to look around, beginning to wonder – what if there were more Sith Lords on Corascunt. Would the Jedi know?  
She approached one of the Senior Jedi Soldiers as he sat adjusting his lightsabre,

"Master, I have a question for you,"

The Jedi looked up at her, squinting into the ray of the sun, his glass eye blinking in between shadow and light,

"Of course,"

"How are they all doing? Alright? No one overly aggressive? No one asking odd questions?"

"Not that I know of, why do you ask?" the man looked confused, growing more rigid, readying himself for a request that would undoubtedly send tingles down his spine,

"Are you sure?"

"I am positive, Lady Leelo, but what of it?"

"I'm making sure that whatever happened on Othen was not linked to us,"

"Palpatine, surely?"

She looked at him, frowning slightly, singling out the beads of sweat on the man's brow as he sat in full throw of the sun,

"If you find anything unusual, Master, you tell me,"

"And I will do so quickly," he looked puzzled, wanting more from her but there was no more to give. She didn't know why it suddenly occurred to her. It shouldn't have but the need to inform Order 66 became apparent and grew as she approached Jed after a mere 2 hours after having left him.  
Looking at him, still mulling over his apparent failure agitated her once more.

"Stop looking so pathetic, we need to get to Corascunt."

Jed gaped at her, stunned by her abrupt and harsh tone,

"Well, then, whatever for?"

"I'll explain to you along the way, let's go,"

"You go, I'm needed here. They need to get trained up before it's too late,"

"Go…on my own," she looked at Jed in disbelief, "Too late?"

"Too late…what if they followed us?"

Shep frowned,

"How would they have done that?"

"Well he got a way, did he not?" he raised his eyebrows at her, "If war is to happen anywhere, then it will evidently come to us first so…I won't be leaving anytime soon. You go,"

Shep didn't want to. Solo travel was not something she enjoyed. She always felt vulnerable and the horrible feeling of mistrust in herself would sneak up on her and she would doubt her abilities. She needed Jed, needed him because whenever she gave up hope, he maintained that she could do it no matter what and that gave her courage. But without him…

She turned on her heel and ordered a ship to be made ready, unwilling to show her worry.

"Go safely, Shep, may the Force be with you."

8888888

She was trembling as the ship sped through hyperspace, the pilot calm and cool as he flipped certain switches as if it were a toy.  
She watched nothing and everything, the essence of time as it shot past them until suddenly she was jolted back to real time, her feet almost taken from beneath her.

She walked briskly to the cockpit entrance and peered inside,

"Why have we stopped? We can't possibly be there yet,"

Her sentence came to a rather abrupt halt as she laid eyes on what was in front of them.

A ship, floating lifeless amidst the stars.

"Anything on it?" she asked the pilot suspiciously,

"Not that I can detect. Their hyperdrive is down, you can see,"

"I can see,"

"I was hoping to take a look see," the pilot looked up at her hesitantly, "They have some spare parts and or survivors. We can find out what happened,"

But Shep was reluctant, her instincts told her that it was a bad idea but curiosity was a different feeling altogether.

"What parts do you need that you can't get in Corascunt?"

"None that are free,"

She looked down at him,

"You stay here. If something goes wrong – you fly away," she gestured with her hands the likes of a butterfly fluttering away. The pilot did not respond but sat stiffly, watching as she disembarked and made the transition from one ship to another.

8888

Nothing. There were broken wires and glitching systems but nothing had made an attempt to fix the hyperdrive.  
No droids. No evidence of people, no evidence of struggle, no evidence of anything having been there at all. It was quite possible that this ship had simply been abandoned.

She turned to leave, to tell the Pilot that it was safe to come aboard and collect the parts he needed but something caught her eye.  
The shield generator and all control panels had been disabled. Burned it seemed. She leaned forward and then wanted to run.  
She pulled out her lightsabre and made for the exit, walking briskly, trying not to run. She thought she'd made it but then the door out shut on her and she froze.

She waited for answers but nothing came. Only when she turned around did she soar from one end of the ship to the other. She hit chairs and walls along the way until she landed on the control panel and rolled off. Her body roared in agony and she was winded, sure she had broken a rib.

She stood and shook as she did so. Wiping blood from her mouth, sweat from her eyes and pain from her brow. She held her side and stooped.

"It's been a very long time, hasn't it?" a voice rasped from a body that stood straight and whose hands were clasped neatly behind his back.

"It was supposed to be forever…"

"Yes. I suppose it was but whose fault was that? Mine?"

She scowled at her old Master,

"You should have stayed dead, Moralis,"

"You can take your anger to Jed…Force willing you are able to leave here. But first, tell me, what have you found that you so desperately need to tell the Jedi Order 66?"

"How did you know I found anything? How did you know I'd stop?"

"The Force works in mysterious ways. If you had decided to follow my training through to the end, I could have shown you,"

She smirked,

"Your training was and is foolish and misplaced,"

"Who are you following, I wonder….?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me,"

"I thought there might be more of you on Corascunt, that word spread like wildfire because you are based there,"

"Almost…very nearly there. You're smart," he began to slow clap as Shep felt like her knees were giving out as the pain escalated, "How would you have thought that we found you?"

"I don't know," she coughed once and tried to hide her horror as blood splattered her hand,

"Oh Shep, I trained you to be weary of everything around you. Surely that stayed with you…"

"I don't believe what you're thinking is true."

"What if I told you it was?"

"Go back to your Sith base, preach your pride there! War is upon us. We can settle differences then. I've seen enough of you," she spat, "You've worn me down enough, you've taken my face from me already!"

"It was a lovely face. Again, if only you'd followed through. I wouldn't have to have tried to kill you. Jed would not have to have tried to kill me and you and I wouldn't have to be looking at each other now." Moralis looked somewhat sullen as he gazed at her, almost sorry, "I miss you, Shep. You were a good apprentice. It was such a shame,"

"YOU ARE EVIL!" she roared breathlessly, "Kill me or leave me! Do what you will, I'm done with you!"

Moralis' face hardened and he approached her,

"I will leave you," he leaned close, close enough for her to feel his breath, "But first, a gift so that you don't forget me again,"

He turned his head and in turn, she turned hers to see what he was looking at. The Pilot was in point-blank range of two Stormtroopers. Were they rogue? Shep felt confusion and fear rising simultaneously,

"We ruined this ship so we need a new one," he nodded and a red burst of colour shot from the blasters and the pilot fell. Moments later he was floating about outside of the ship she found herself in.

She looked at him, terrified but he gazed back without too much acknowledgement of her fear,

"And last but not least, young Shep, who was it that told us about where you were? Why…one of yours, of course."

And with that, he left her with the sound of a door sealing shut and air-locking itself.

She was stunned, left on an abandoned ship that had no chance of working, alone in the middle of space. She looked about and saw her dead pilot's ship start up and shoot into hyperspace without so much as a wave goodbye.

8888888888

Obi Wan wondered through the Jedi temple gravely. How was he to approach Anakin, tell him to turn away from those words, tell him to turn away from the Chancellor, tell him this but as if he sensed these things needed to be said instead of telling him as if he had overheard.

Anakin was far from stupid but he was vulnerable. He rarely said what was bothering him and Obi Wan had a constant sense of conflict within Anakin. He always asked if he was alright but Anakin, with his brow set so and his eyes always so suspicious, always said "nothing" and always in a tone that suggested otherwise.

Obi Wan made to the foot of the Temple steps and looked down upon the world, the air-traffic and the people that wondered on the ground and wondered whether they were alright in retrospect. What Force were they fighting, what evils were they enduring while the Jedi hunted for something who knew how to hide.

He was suddenly weary. Doubtful and lost against the might of the powers that be.

He sighed and turned back to find none other than Anakin. He looked disturbed, a tinge of fear in his eyes and frown on his brow, different from the norm.

But what he spoke was in a sense far less severe,

"We've received word from Mayren, it's not good,"

Obi Wan mimicked Anakin's frown,

"In what way not good?" He prepared himself for the worst and yet, the worst was still yet to come,

"Shep left Mayren to get to us just over a week ago. Jed wants to know where and how she is because he hasn't received word from her since her departure."

"I didn't even know she was here,"

"She's not."

The problem became apparent then. It didn't even take 3 days to get to Corascunt. So where was she? What happened?

"No word from the pilot either," Anakin continued, "No trace of the ship, nothing. We have nothing to find her with. I'm reluctant to tell Jed,"

"Why?" Obi Wan scorned as he made for the Jedi council briskly, worry building in him even more and the sense of doubt fading into dread. They'd been found out and who ever had found them was disposing of the evidence. Shep was lost in space. What were the chances?

"Failure," Anakin answered meekly. Obi Wan found the way to stop and look at him.

"Does that resonate with you?"

"No,"

But Obi Wan could see through the lie. Anakin was definitely not an open book but Obi Wan had known him since he was a nine year old child. Blow him down if he'd learned nothing about Anakin's way of internalising his emotions.

But Obi Wan let it go faster than water over a pebble. There were more pressing matters at hands such where Shep was and how they were going to inform Jed. So he left Anakin standing rather sheepishly by the enormous window, half his body in the light, half in the dark.

Obi Wan entered the council room where Jed's transmission stood patiently dead centre, the other council members already sitting and awaiting answers from, Obi Wan could only guess, himself.

"Obi Wan," Jed greeted coolly, eyes steady, voice like steel, "Good of you to come. Nobody has answers, nobody seems to be aware that Shep is with you. She was to go straight to you as her story started. Is there a possibility that this is not the case? I have been told time and again that this not the case – that she is not there at all."

Jed's expression suddenly broke, albeit briefly, the concern evident on his tanned features,

"Please do not give me reason to be more worried than I already am…"

Obi Wan glanced around the room, all eyes on him. Of course they knew the answer and as Anakin entered the room, the atmosphere changed again. Jed's expression hardened again and the unspoken question rose from the darkness. 'What have you done?' But it was never spoken.

"She never arrived, Jed," Obi Wan said gravely, "Apparently she left a week ago? It doesn't take that long to get here and we've heard no word from the pilot either,"

"I sense she feared that word of our dealings had gotten out. She was worried that it may have come down to us."

"You?"

"Us. That work got out from within our boarders. I made her go to you on her own for the same reasons. I could not leave the ranks in case she was right."

Obi Wan was stunned. Their fears had suddenly come to life. They had been infiltrated. As yet unconfirmed but Shep's absence acted as evidence enough.

"Shep knows the answer. I will not leave these troops. So, Obi Wan," Jed's face softened, "Keep your wits about you but I wonder if I might ask you a favour…"

"I will be on my way. Anakin and I will go out and trace the way back to you,"

Jed looked relieved.

"Bear in mind she may have drifted. Space doesn't sit still," Master Windu added cautiously.

"Very careful, you must be," Yoda added looking at Anakin and Obi Wan with a steady gaze.

"Yes, Master," Obi Wan nodded,

"Yes, Master," Anakin repeated and without another word with the exception of a nod at Jed who returned it and disappeared just as Obi Wan marched past Anakin to do Jed's bidding. Determined to find Shep, determined to fix the problem. Determined not to let the situation go sailing out of control.

"Master," Anakin said anxiously, "What if we don't find her?"

He strapped himself in hesitantly. Obi Wan however strapped himself in as if he knew exactly where he was going. Which of course was not the case.

"Then," Obi Wan replied without looking at his apprentice, rage at Palpatine beginning to fester, annoyance at Anakin's helplessness, "We must assume the worsed and you and I send word back to the council and then we go straight to Jed."


	6. Interlude

Hi Team.

I'm stumped and focusing on a lot of other things at the moment so I'm just going to leave this here because I like to think I'll come back to it.

The problem being is that I've created a situation in which there are too many characters to get rid of before the story concludes and I don't quite know how to accomplish that yet without it seeming like utter garbage.

So bear with me if you will.

Cheers!

Amplesound.


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